YOU’VE DECIDED
TO GET A PUPPY
A very informative booklet for what to expect after
deciding to get a puppy
LEARNING
MORE ABOUT THE BREED YOU HAVE CHOSEN
It is up to you to learn as much as possible about the breed you
have chosen, before you start viewing puppies. Most breeds have a “job” to do
and were originally bred to serve man in different ways, herding and guarding
livestock, protecting their owners, flushing out game for hunters to shoot and
retrieving them for the owner from the water. Some like
Even if you have no
intention of showing or breeding you are bound to be interested in the breed in
general, it is a very good idea to join your “Breed Club”. Every breed has at
least one breed club and the popular breeds often have several clubs based in
different parts of the
You will receive newsletters and yearbooks which are very
interesting, with lots of photos of your breed. When you ring ask about the
hereditary diseases that affect your chosen breed, what they are called and how
they affect the dog, whether it is serious or life threatening. Write them
down, some have long and difficult names to remember until you are familiar
with them. If you have access to an on-line computer you can find out all about
them, but books will also explain the problems well. The breed clubs are often more knowledgeable
about their breeds’ health problems than a lot of veterinarians. The
veterinarians will know how to treat them, if they are treatable, but may not
know exactly which conditions affect which breed. Find out which conditions can
be tested for and what the acceptable results are. Ask which books on the breed
you should buy, there are so many and some will be better than others.
Books
Always check that any “breed” books are written and published in
I would recommend that you buy any puppy book written by Dr. Ian
Dunbar and anything by Kay White. The one book I highly recommend is one called
“The Doglopedia” by Kay White and Jim Evans. It comes
in paperback and hardback and is a fabulous all round dog book that you will
refer to all through your dog’s life. If
you buy a bitch get “The Book of the Bitch” written by the same pair. If I only
had two books on general dog care, they would be the two I’d buy.
Dog Shows
When you ring the Kennel Club about breed clubs also ask them if
there is an open show near you soon. Dog
shows are held in most areas, most weekends, which may surprise you. They are often held at Leisure Centres and
are often only advertised in the dog press and usually locals don’t even know
they are happening, unless they show dogs!!
Go along and talk to exhibitors about their breeds. Wait until they have
finished showing for the day though, they may too busy grooming and preparing
their dogs, and most will be happy to chat when they have finished. You can
have fun watching the classes and guessing which dog will win. You may even find that some of the people
showing their dogs are expecting puppies or even have some for sale. Seeing
dogs “in the flesh” and being able to meet and watch them may help you make up
your mind if you are still not too sure which breed to go for. There have been
many books written about which breed to choose depending on your home and
family situation. I won’t attempt that here.
WHAT IS A PUPPY FARM/PUPPY FARMER
Finding the right puppy can be very exciting but it is also full of
pitfalls. Sadly all over the
These places are puppy farms. Some of you may have seen them on the
television or read about them in other media, but many people not involved in
dogs have never heard of them. This is
why I have written this guide to avoiding them, to try and help you find a good
reputable breeder.
Newborn puppies are very delicate; they are born in a premature
state, in comparison to most other animals.
They are blind, deaf and have under developed nervous systems at birth.
They can’t stand up but drag themselves around by their forelegs to find a teat
or warmth. For the first two weeks they
do very little except sleep and suck.
Their eyes start to open from nine days, depending on the breed and
gradually their hind legs develop sufficiently to allow them to stand up and
take their first wobbly steps between two and three weeks. It is vital at this age that they receive
lots of gentle handling and play time with people, getting used to being petted
and picked up. They should have lots of room to gallop about and play with toys
preferably outside if the weather is mild, in a clean and safe environment.
The breeder will start the weaning process between two and four
weeks of age, depending on how much milk the mother has. Little meals are
introduced gradually increasing the quantity of food and frequency of meals so
they gradually take less milk from mum, so her milk has a chance to dry off
slowly and finish suckling them by seven weeks at the latest,
Some mothers are happy to stay with their babies until they are
sold and others have had enough by the time the puppies are five to six weeks,
they are all different. By five weeks the puppies should be having four or five
little meals a day, having daily play and ideally in and out of the house all
day with the family.
By six weeks early weaned puppies are able to be independent from
their mother but are still very small and sleep much of the time, they are
still much too young to be sold.
Puppies grow and strengthen a great deal between six and eight
weeks, and their personality is forming fast now, it is so important that they
are in the right sort of environment to explore, meet people and get used to
household activities.
When the puppies are first born the mother has weeks of hard work
ahead, and the only way she can rear a litter of strong healthy pups is to be
in the peak of condition well before she is even mated. Then she must be fed on the very best food
and given a great deal of care with all her needs, emotional and physical,
catered for until she has completely recovered from having her pups, which may
take four to eight weeks after the puppies are sold. It’s a long process – pregnant for nine weeks
then working hard to look after them for several weeks, she needs to be very
carefully and knowledgably looked after.
Young puppies are very susceptible to infection and disease that
older dogs may shake off, so the place the puppies are born and reared in must
be spotlessly clean. Dogs mature very
quickly in comparison to us – eighteen months as opposed to eighteen years and
all their growing processes happen at great speed. This is why it is so important for puppies to
be fed with a correctly balanced diet, correct for their breed/type, right from
the start.
A puppy born to an under nourished, ill cared for mother, then
reared on an inadequate diet in dirty surroundings with little or no human
contact has the very worst start in life.
You can’t make up for months of neglect.
A puppy farm puppy may never be as healthy as a puppy from an
experienced reputable breeder.
WHAT IS A PUPPY FARM
These are factory farms where any numbers of bitches (often dozens
and sometimes hundreds) are kept, usually of several different breeds that are
kept solely for the purpose of making as much money for a little outlay as
possible. Bitches often have two litters
a year (one registered, the other not).
Good breeders would normally only mate a bitch once a year at the most.
This means that puppy farm bitches for eight or nine months of every year are
either pregnant or rearing puppies for many years, usually until they stop
breeding easily, when they are destroyed.
They have no time to recover properly in between litters.
It can be hard to spot a puppy farmer because they go to great
lengths to pretend they are good breeders.
Don’t be deceived, many of these people are smart and well educated,
they don’t have to live on a farm or even in the countryside, and they may live
in a flat with no garden and keep several bitches in crates in a spare
room. They may be archetypal
farmers on a farm, but not necessarily.
One thing they will have in common though is that they will be keen to
deliver a puppy to your home or motorway service station. This is so you don’t have to see the awful conditions
that they have been bred in. The worse
the place is the more keen they will be to deliver, to keep you off their
premises. They say it’s because they want to see your home and where it’s going
to live, like they care!! If a breeder
doesn’t want to see the puppies at home then go elsewhere.
I should clarify at this point that traditional farmers are not
necessarily puppy farmers, though of course some are. A puppy farm may be run
as a sideline on a traditional farm but many famous exhibitors of dogs are also
farmers, but they are not puppy farmers.
I cannot stress strongly enough that the place to buy your puppy
from must be from a caring breeder and preferably one who specialises in just
one or two breeds.
Many puppy farm puppies die within days or weeks in their new home.
This is doubly upsetting if there are children in the family. Of course the poor puppy is often (but not
always) half the price of a well reared one, which is why most people buy them.
“Oh we just want a puppy for the kids, I’m not paying £400-£500” is a common
reply when they hear the normal price for a well bred well reared puppy.
A cheap puppy soon becomes a very expensive one after several
hundred pounds worth of veterinarian’s bills and then dies with no insurance
cover.
Puppies that never leave their tiny indoor pen have no opportunity
to do what little puppies should do: have lots of room to run about and play
and chase each other about, to feel the sun on their backs and roll around in
the grass. To have toys to play with
when they are bored with their siblings and a daily explore around the
house. Puppies that never leave their
pen are under tremendous mental stress and those that have no distractions or
toys will start to either become withdrawn or hyper-active. Under these conditions some of the hyper ones
will become over-dominant (bossy) and start to bully the others mercilessly
just because they are bored. They will
almost certainly become destructive, destroying their beds and bedding (if they
have any) and anything else they can get their teeth into. Once established this destructive behaviour
can be very difficult to overcome. As well as being mentally stressed they are
physically stressed because of their inadequate diet, exercise and dirty
surroundings. Their only human contact is a dish of food slid under the gate
and a quick kick if they get in the way.
By eight weeks the seeds are sown, if they have had little kind
human contact they will be nervous and frightened by the world in general. Stress alone can alter the efficiency of the
immune system which is not established anyway at that tender age.
THE RIGHT BREEDER
·
Doesn’t breed from bitches under eighteen months or after eight
years of age
·
Doesn’t breed from bitches more than once a year
·
NEVER sells to dealers or pet shops
·
Usually only delivers puppies under exceptional circumstances, if
at all, not as a matter of course like puppy farmers do
·
Is friendly open and helpful willing to answer all your questions
·
Will not fail to ask YOU lots of questions, why you chose this breed,
why do you want one now, what is your lifestyle – work commitments, have you
children what are their ages, do you have a well fenced garden. Don’t be upset
or offended. The good breeders are very concerned to whom they sell their
precious puppies, if you are not asked these questions I would conclude they
don’t really care who they sell their puppies to.
·
Will be happy to show you all their dogs (except perhaps newly
whelped bitches and newborn puppies)
·
Will obviously love their dogs to bits and treat and talk about
them with great affection.
·
Will want to stay in touch with you after you take your puppy home
to help you with any problems or queries
·
Will give you in depth information on exactly how to feed, train,
care for the puppy with written feeding, worming grooming instructions
·
Will be most concerned to find the very best homes for their
puppies and not be desperate to sell them quickly.
FINDING THE RIGHT BREEDER
By now you will realise the importance of avoiding puppy farmers
and finding a really dedicated reputable breeder. There are several good ways
of going about this. You might consider:
Breed Clubs
Breed club members often inform the clubs’ puppy co-ordinator when
they are expecting puppies. These
puppies should be better bred (look and move like they are supposed to) and
have a temperament correct for the breed.
They should also be better reared than average, but one can’t
generalise, you will still need to ask all the same questions, as not every
breed club member will be virtuous, but you have much more chance of finding
the right puppy from a member than just picking an advert out of the
paper.
Again you may think, “I don’t want a puppy to show, so why
bother”. Even if you have no intention
of showing your dog, don’t be put off buying a puppy from a show kennel; a show
dog is just one that looks and acts exactly like it should for the breed, and
isn’t that why you want a pedigree dog?
These puppies will almost always have received the best of everything –
a well balanced diet, regular worming, and daily play, exercise, grooming and
trimming. Lots of chances to meet strangers and maybe will even have had a few
trips in the car and be partly house trained.
These breeders are very concerned to keep hereditary and other
health problems at bay. They will be
aiming to keep the best of their puppies for themselves, so may well be trying
harder than non-show breeders to avoid them, by only using tested breeding
stock. People who are breeding to produce show dogs are looking to continue
their “line” and should be much more vigilant than the average breeder to avoid
hereditary disease.
All bred club members have to adhere to strict regulations as to
how they look after their dogs, how often they are bred and to whom they can
sell their puppies. If it is found that
they have broken the rules they can face heavy discipline from their breed
club, which may well result in them ceasing to win or judge, let alone the
wrath of the Kennel Club, who often ban people from showing and registering
their puppies for life or many years.
LOCAL VETERINARIAN’S PRACTISES
Ask at ALL the local veterinarians in your area. Just ring up and ask to speak to the senior
small-animal veterinarians there. You may
be asked to ring back at a less busy time, but don’t let that put you of. Most
of the day, veterinarians are busy treating their patients, but there will be a
time that you can speak to them. When
you get to speak to him/her ask if they can recommend a breeder of the breed/s
you are interested in. If you haven’t already found out elsewhere, ask which
hereditary problems are common in “your” breed, and which ones a good breeder
will have tested (or screened) for and what would be a satisfactory outcome of
each test.
A veterinarian is in the very best position to know which of their
clients (the breeders) really do care well for their
dogs. The veterinarians will have seen
many or most of the dogs at their surgery for treatment and vaccinations and may
well have been to the breeders premises on a home visit.
Don’t be shy about doing this, its good practise. The veterinarians won’t mind at all because
you are potentially a new client for them and you will get lots of good free
advice. One of the surgeries you contact may be particularly friendly or
impressive in other ways and if you haven’t already got a veterinarian this is
an excellent way to find one that you get on with.
Alternatively of course you may already have a veterinarian, but
find the one at the other end of town has better facilities or be
friendlier!! It is so important to
choose a veterinarian who is friendly and approachable, and who actually
listens to what you have to say. He/she should not be over-bearing, dismissive
of your ideas/comments or make you feel ignorant. Find a veterinarian who is
happy to help further your knowledge, one who explains exactly what he’s doing
and why, and handles your pet kindly and carefully.
KENNEL BRED or HOME REARED?
It is not “PC” (politically correct) these days to buy from a
kennel and all the advice is to buy a home reared puppy. However puppies are
reared in all sorts of different circumstances. It would be almost impossible
to rear a large litter of
There is no doubt that once puppies reach 4 weeks old they should
be in the house with human company for much of the day, preferably with access
to the outside, say from the kitchen door. Kennel bred puppies can happily
sleep outside in a heated kennel or building near the house and spend most of
the day in the house. This gives the best of both worlds,
fresh air and play outside and seeing other dogs and lots of human
company and adaptation to household activities, meeting visitors and learning
house training.
I would not want a home reared puppy that had hardly ever been
outside to play, they have “missed out” as much as a kennel bred puppy that
never comes into the house!
The important thing is to keep an open mind and judge for your self
whether the puppies, where-ever they have been reared, are friendly, confident,
plump, and clean, as all the other dogs there should be, and that the
surroundings they have been reared in are suitable for the breed. I once
visited a litter of “home reared” puppies to find them in an unventilated,
unheated conservatory (boiling hot in summer and freezing in winter) with no
access to the outside or the rest of the house. They were 8 weeks old and had
never been out of the room. They may have been reared indoors, but the
facilities were totally unsuitable. It was too hot and smelly, and the puppies
just sat in their basket and looked at me, and were not at all confident, I
suspect they had never met anyone outside the family before. The breeder was
proud of the fact that these were “home reared puppies” and not bred in a nasty
kennel, I was appalled!!
If you buy from a kennel take these points into consideration:
It’s usually better to buy from a small kennel, which I would call
under ten dogs. It depends how many people are involved in looking after them,
but ten would be a full time job for one person and really that’s pushing it. I
don’t think any one person can rear more than two litters well, at one time,
even if they have only a few dogs. I keep seven and don’t work elsewhere, and I
only just have time to do very basic housework and occasionally cook and look
after one litter of puppies at a time.
However a larger kennel with enough extra help can still do things
properly. What takes up the most time, when you have a kennel of dogs, is
giving them enough individual attention, exercise and play as well as grooming
and cleaning out and the mundane chores. When there are puppies the breeder
should still have enough time left to be able to devote several hours a day to
them. Puppies born and kept mostly in a
kennel situation should be in their new homes at eight weeks, don’t buy a
kennel reared puppy later than nine or ten weeks unless it spends most of every
day in and out of the house with the breeder.
So good well-reared puppies can come from a kennel or a kitchen,
just make sure the facilities are suitable. If they are reared well in the
house then there should be no smell to speak of. It is not OK for the house -
or kennel for that matter - to be smelly or dirty. They should have regular
access to the great outdoors in good weather. If mostly kennel reared the
kennel should have large concrete or concrete and grass runs attached, which
the puppies can go in and out of at will. Full bowls of clean water and
comfortable beds and bedding. Kennels should be able to be heated when puppies
are young or in very cold weather, again depending on the breed. Toy breeds
probably do, “do better” in the house, as small puppies they can be quite
delicate. Fresh air and room to play is
very important for all breeds. If you are buying from a kennel, choose one that
only breeds one or two breeds, not the large commercial kennels that supply
many breeds. Don’t be taken in by their sales talk, buy from a specialist
kennel.
HOBBY BREEDERS
This type of breeder has two or three pedigree bitches, which live
in the house as pets and sometimes breeds puppies. The problem to consider here
is whether or not the owners is also an experienced breeder and dog owner or is
this among the first litters they have bred.
Do they know about the hereditary conditions of that particular
breed? Do they know how to look after
the mother and their puppies properly? They may love them to bits, but do the
puppies get the right diet, regular worming, correct handling etc? If the owner does all the right things then
this may be a source of your new puppy as long as you don’t mind whether its’ a
good example of the breed. There also may not be the back up and “after sales
service” though. If they are not very experienced they may not be able to help
you in the future, with any problems that may arise. Lifetime help and advice
is always offered by the experienced reputable breeder.
KENNEL CLUB
They will send you a list of recently registered puppies from
unlicensed breeders. Unlicensed breeders
are those that register no more than four litters a year. Some breeders
brandish their licence as a good thing, but if they breed many litters a year
this would make then the sort of commercial enterprise or maybe even a puppy
farm that you wish to avoid. Those that do register more than four litters a
year have to be licensed, by law, by their local council with annual
inspections. Those that breed four
litters a year or less are generally considered to be more desirable. It is
useful to have this list but remember that these are in no way “recommended”
puppies; they could equally easily be poorly or well reared and bred. If you want to know how many litters a
breeder has registered in any three months of the year you can buy a “breed
Supplement” from the Kennel Club, which contains all the puppies registered in
a three-month period for all the breeds within a group. If a breeder has several litters in one
“quarter” then it’s likely you can times it by three or four to get their
annual litter count.
UN-REGISTERED PUPPIES
Some people think that they will save some money and buy a cheaper
unregistered puppy. Don’t fall into this
trap. You might as well get a cross breed, free to good home.
Without KC registration you have no proof that the puppies are in
fact from pedigree parents, they may look pedigree at 8 weeks to an
inexperienced buyer and then grow into a dog that is obviously a cross
breed. Those that do not register are probably
breeding from over age bitches (bitches should not have puppies after their
eighth birthday without KC permission, which is rarely given). Also a bitch owner may not register more than
one litter a year from her, which is an excellent new ruling.
Those that don’t register puppies can breed from their bitch every
six months without a break, which is appalling practise. It also means they can
breed as often as they like and from as many bitches as they like without
having to have their premises inspected or be licensed and the conditions are
likely to be very poor. This sort of breeder is only motivated by making money
and cares nothing for their dogs or the future of their breed, whatever they
may say or whatever excuses they give.
Don’t be conned! If you want
a pedigree puppy get a registered one, if you want a cross breed, get one from
rescue.
RESCUE HOMES
Rescue homes sometimes have puppies that have been born to rescue
bitches. Although in some cases the mother may appear to be a pedigree, the
puppies almost certainly won’t be. It is very important that the mother has a
friendly temperament (a lot to expect in a rescue kennel) and appears in good
physical condition. If she was rescued
in mid to late pregnancy and was in poor condition it is likely that she wont
have healthy, sturdy puppies. You can be reasonably sure, though, that a
recognised kennel will have looked after the mother and puppies well. These puppies should be re-homed before ten
weeks at the latest as they have come from a kennel environment.
Don’t be tempted to take on an older rescued puppy that was not
born there or has been a victim of cruelty or neglect if this is your first
puppy or you have children and/or a busy or noisy household. Sadly, many rescued puppies have emotional
problems of varying severity that needs someone with lots of experience and who
has a good knowledge of how to help these damaged dogs lead happy lives. Even a puppy as young as sixteen weeks, who
has had a bad experience and may have been in several homes may be very
difficult to deal with by anyone inexperienced.
COMMERCIAL BREEDERS
These are usually large kennels specialising in several breeds.
They often display advertisement boards on the roadside. Although there are some similarities to a
puppy farm in so much as they are breeding for financial gain the differences
should be:
·
Kennels will be purpose built, spotlessly clean, with comfortable
beds, access to outside runs all day if its mild, clean bedding in beds and on
the floor.
·
All the dogs and puppies obviously clean and healthy looking,
showing interest in you, active with waggy tails and
a happy outlook
·
Breeder friendly and helpful willing to show you all the dogs and
spend as much time as you want, answering your questions
·
Puppies well wormed, some commercial breeders sell their puppies
having had their first vaccination
·
All the paperwork in order, KC registered with the form there for
you to see, and take if you buy the puppy. Pedigree details (mother and father)
must tally with the KC registration form
·
Puppies should definitely be insured.
Although these puppies may not have been in the house much, if at
all, they should have received lots of handling and be confident to meet you.
If all seems in order you may get a good puppy here, however it is always
preferable to buy from a small private breeder where they will receive more
individual attention.
ADVERTISEMENTS
This is probably the most commonly known source of puppies, but
hopefully you can find a puppy by means mentioned earlier. Once you start
answering advertisements you really have to “let the buyer beware”. You will have to sort the good from the bad
with clever questioning and a little bit of intuition. For example:
This advert says a lot about the puppies and the breeder seems to
be a caring one who has done the right things. Compare it to the one below:
These are typical adverts taken from a weekly yellow free paper.
Each advertiser pays the same for an advert of up to 50 words. Why is the
second advert so short, when they could have said so much more? The second advert generates no interest for
me at all. They are selling puppies at 6 weeks, which is far too young, and are
offering to deliver, which should always be viewed with suspicion.
Almost all adverts contain the words “excellent pedigree”. Some
“breeders” think that just because there are one or two ancestors, way back in
the pedigree that are Champions that they are entitled to put excellent
pedigree in the dogs’ description. In my eyes at least one quarter of the dogs
on a five-generation pedigree should be Champions to be entitled to say
“excellent pedigree”. That’s about 20
Champions out of 62 names on a pedigree.
The first advert tells me so much more and the breeder really
sounds a caring one that has done a good job rearing the puppies. I know which puppies I would want to go and
see; I wouldn’t even bother ringing the second advert.
Always look for what the advert doesn’t say as well as what it does
say.
So far we have concentrated on avoiding the puppy farmers and less
desirable breeders, but don’t become too cynical. Genuine breeders do
exist.
When you ring up in reply to an advert do be polite and
friendly. Do your best not to sound
suspicious, a puppy farmer will soon pick up on this and tell you lies to
convince you they are good breeders.
A genuine breeder may well be offended if you sound suspicious and
decide they don’t like you, and therefore may not sell to you. Ask about the
puppies etc in a friendly way. Good breeders know they will sell their quality
puppies easily and won’t do a “hard sell”, they know they can pick and choose
the best homes that are on offer for their precious puppies. A puppy farmer may well try a “hard sell”; a
good breeder never does this. Also the price quoted in the advert is the price
you pay, don’t try and knock the price down, this is the ultimate crime of a
prospective purchaser ringing a good breeder. They will think “how dare they
try and beat me down when they haven’t even seen the puppies”.
An experienced breeder, good or bad, will be able to tell exactly
how well informed or how experienced you are very quickly, so don’t pretend you
know more than you do. Hopefully though, by the time you have digested this book
you will be much better informed than most “novice” buyers.
Good breeders are extremely fussy who they sell their puppies to,
but are usually willing to sell to first time owners if you show sufficient
interest in learning all about how to look after your new puppy properly.
REPLYING TO ADVERTISEMENTS
Do ring at a reasonable hour, dog breeders are usually very busy
people who often have other family commitments, like cooking and eating
dinner!! There is nothing more annoying than being dragged away from your
Sunday lunch with long lost friends; someone even rang me for puppies on
Christmas Day once, when I didn’t even have any puppies, unbelievable!!
Try and ring during office hours or at least no later than
Further on there is a list of questions that I suggest you ask when
you ring up. Have a sheet of paper to write down the phone numbers and the
answers each gives to your questions.
There is nothing worse than after a day of phoning round, finding the
perfect puppy/breeder and then not remembering which particular advert it was!
Once you have introduced yourself, either tell them you have a list
of questions to ask or work the questions into the conversation and tick them
off as you go. A good breeder won’t mind
at all, and will be pleased you are so well prepared. Sometimes a breeder is so enthusiastic about
their dogs they may well answer all your questions when you just say “Can you
tell me about the puppies, please?”
There is so much to remember and think about when you ring up and
speak to breeders. Hopefully having the
list of questions to ask will help. Do listen to answers given, very
carefully. Are your questions actually
being answered or do they “beat around the bush”. Your first concern will be to find out if it
is a puppy farm. When you ring, for example say: “I’m ringing up about the
puppies in the paper” rather than “I’m ringing about the
Don’t give them any idea of the answer you want, in your
questioning.
Whatever you do, don’t ask them if they are puppy farmers! If they are they would never admit to it and
a genuine breeder will be mortally offended!
Ask how many dogs they have altogether, if its dozens, or they don’t
want to answer, be suspicious. You
should be well armed with information from this book, to sort out, with
intelligent and polite questioning, whether they are the sort of breeder you
are looking for.
For example: You have by now
(hopefully) found out about the hereditary diseases and conditions that affect
your chosen breed. You now know what
they are, does the breeder that you are ringing? You can ask (knowing the answer) “What
hereditary diseases affect this breed?” and see what sort of answers you
get. Any breeder that doesn’t know or
doesn’t explain them clearly, probably doesn’t know as much as you now know,
and should be avoided like the plague.
You also now know that six weeks is far too young for a puppy to go
to its new home. Ask: “What age will
they be ready to go?” You know it should
be seven to seven-and-half weeks at the earliest, and preferably not till eight
weeks.
Even if the price is an important
factor to you, as it is to most of us, don’t let it be your first question. If you do, a good breeder will get the message
from you that the most important aspect as far as you are concerned, is the
price, when they are keen to tell you about their lovely babies. This does not
get you off to a good start with them. If they feel you are worried about the
price, they may think that you may not have the funds to look after and rear
the puppy well and meet all the expenses that a new puppy brings.
QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN YOU RING UP
·
“I’m ringing up about the puppies in the paper, can you tell me
about them please?”
·
“Have you got a black bitch puppy?” (Or whatever it is you want)
·
Now ask the price, if you don’t already know
·
“Are they reared in the house or in a kennel environment?”
·
“Have they been registered with the Kennel Club yet?”
·
“How many times have they been wormed?”
·
“Have they been vaccinated?” (Puppies under eight weeks are
unlikely to be vaccinated, but may be vaccinated against Parvo
Virus.
·
“At what age will they be ready to go to their new homes?”
·
“How old is the mum and has she had puppies before?” Try and find
out how many litters, it really should not be more than four or five though the
KC allow a bitch to have six registered litters
·
“Do you own the father of the puppies too; can we see him (If they
do own him) and /or all the other dogs, if we come?”
·
“What hereditary problems does the breed have?” (If these problems
can be screened/tested for, has it been done and what are the results?”
·
“Will they be insured?”
When you have found one that you like the sound of, arrange a mutually
convenient time to go and see them. If
they sound just what you want, don’t delay, good puppies sell very quickly. If
they are advertised before they are ready to go the breeder may want a deposit.
This is normal practise. I wouldn’t send a deposit for a puppy you haven’t
seen, as deposits are usually non-refundable.
If you can, go and visit the litter between five and eight weeks
and leave a deposit if you are sure you want one. You may not be able to actually choose the
puppy, as the breeder may want to keep one themselves and of course, they have
first pick! They may not decide which one they are going to keep until the
puppies are eight weeks. At eight weeks most puppies are “miniatures” of what
they will look like as adults, and this is the perfect age to choose them, on
looks. If you do leave a deposit, make sure you get a receipt, which includes
the balance to pay on collection and written confirmation that if they have not
already been registered, that they will be by eight weeks.
Leave plenty of time for the journey and don’t be late! If you are going to be more than half an hour
late, phone them and let them know. They may have more clients coming later on.
If you are viewing puppies that are actually old enough to collect
that day, make sure you have made preparations both at home and for the
journey. You will also need to have exactly the same food that the puppy is
being fed. Find out what and how often they are fed and make sure you have the
right food.
Everyone who is going should wear unimportant trousers and flat,
lightweight shoes. Friendly puppies will jump up, so skirts and tights on the
girls and ladies will be ruined, and you don’t want your legs scratched by
their little nails. They may also lick at your shoes, and try and undo your
laces, so don’t wear your best. People
arriving “done up to the nines” don’t impress dog breeders! Do have the attitude that you need to impress
the dog breeder, that you will give the puppy a permanent caring home and that
you are willing to learn, and actually listen to what they tell you about
caring for the puppy. Don’t have the attitude that you are doing the breeder a
favour by buying a puppy; it is very definitely the other way round!
Small puppies are very easy to tread on, they seem to delight in
getting under your feet, and it is much more preferable to wear soft shoes,
like trainers, than high heels or steel capped boots! The very last thing you must do is injure a
puppy.
If you are taking children with you, they must be old enough to
understand a “pep talk” and be relied upon to do as they are told. Tell them they must NOT pick the puppies up,
a good breeder will find them something for the children to sit on, on the
floor and allow the puppies to crawl safely over them, at floor level. They
must NOT shout and scream or run about, wave their arms about or be at all
rowdy. I have refused to sell puppies to people several times because their
children were so badly behaved that I was too worried that the puppy would be
hurt or frightened in a home with children like that. They may not mean any
harm, but puppies don’t know that, and “not meaning any harm”, is no good when
the puppy is injured or so badly frightened or roughly handled that it starts
to bite or cower, and who could blame it?
Even bold, friendly puppies will back away if they are frightened
by you or your family, and you could ruin their temperament if your child
frightens one, it could be scared of children for life. Girls should have long hair tied back in
bunches or a pony tail, so it doesn’t hang in the puppy’s face when they bend
down to them.
“See the puppy with its mother” is good advice, but what do you
look for? Is she the right size and
shape for the breed, and have the important characteristics for the breed (i.e.
be an acceptable colour)? There is a
fashion these days for buying white puppies of breeds that do not recognise
white as a colour for that breed, for example white Boxers and German Shepherd
Dogs. Please be aware that these are more likely to be deaf than Boxers or GSD’s of the accepted colours. Don’t be fooled into paying
more for these puppies than the ordinary price for the breed, they are not more
desirable in the dog world.
Is mum in good condition? This is a tricky question. By the time puppies
are six or seven weeks the mother has had several weeks of hard work as caring
for and feeding her puppies is a twenty-four hours a day job. Some bitches have
puppies like shelling peas, love every minute of it and never lose any weight,
staying playful and bright. For some others, its just jolly hard wok, and some
bitches “milk off their back”, i.e. they put everything into their puppies
through their lavish supply of milk, and can lose a lot of condition and often
some of their coat (fur), even though they have been fed as much good food as
they can eat. Large litters that the bitch has “done well” can really drain her
and leave her looking thin and fraught for a few weeks, until they are weaned
and she can regain her good condition. If you visit a litter of four weeks of
age the bitch is very likely to look thinner than she normally would, but by
the time the puppies are weaned she should have put on weight. A “good milker” may take several weeks to regain her former
condition.
Some bitches are very maternal, and while the puppies are still
living full time with her, she may be concerned about visitors and not be over
friendly with strangers. Once the puppies are four to five weeks old though,
most bitches are happy to show their brood off. Although she may not be
actually friendly, a good pointer of temperament within the kennel is that ALL
the other dogs should be friendly. If they are, the bitch’s true temperament is
probably good. She should not however growl or behave aggressively. She should
appear alert and interested.
Many breeders will have weaned the puppies from the mother
completely by six or seven weeks, and if you are viewing at eight weeks it
would be quite normal for mother and puppies to be living separately, so that
the puppies are completely weaned and ready to sell. You should be able to see
all the litter together, not one puppy brought up to the house.
You should be able to view all the other dogs there, unless they
have young puppies, but don’t expect to pet them all. Look and see their
condition and watch their reaction to you. Dogs will often bark a greeting, but
they should also be wagging their tails and look interested to see you. They
should be confident to approach and meet you, not hanging back.
If the breeder won’t show you the other dogs, or its obvious that
there are more in other buildings, be suspicious. If the breed of dog includes
dark colours, they should have very shiny coats and be in excellent condition.
Long coated breeds should be well groomed, with no tangles or mats.
SO:
·
Are the premises clean with little or no “doggy” smell and suitable
for the dogs, either purpose built kennels with well fenced runs or are they a
collection of shabby sheds, untidy cold draughty outbuildings.
·
If the dogs live in the house, does it smell like lots of dogs live
there? It shouldn’t, unless perhaps it’s very wet weather and the dogs are long
coated. Use your judgement.
·
Does each dog have a comfortable place to sleep with cosy bedding?
·
If there are large numbers of dogs kept it is better (for hygiene
reasons) that the puppies are separate in some way. Especially if there are
lots of movements of animals going on in that kennel. i.e.: they go to shows,
do dog grooming for others, or also run a boarding kennel or do activities that
entail different dogs coming and going, have visitingbitches
to their stud dogs. There will be many chances in a busy kennel like this for
infections to be brought in to the puppies from outside, if they are all kept
in close proximity.
·
Is the place well organised, clean and tidy?
·
Is there sufficient bedding (often sawdust or shavings on the
floor, blankets or paper in the beds) or are there pools of urine or lots of
faeces lying around? Straw is not very good bedding for dogs.
·
Does every dog have access to a clean bowl of water?
·
Do they look happy?
The puppies may well be asleep when you arrive so give them a
chance to wake up properly. Sleepy puppies won’t be that bouncy or
friendly-another good reason to arrive on time. The breeder will hopefully have
chosen a time for you to visit, when they will be easily woken and not when
they have just gone to sleep. Small puppies sleep a lot of the day and when
they are tired, they just can’t wake up to play!
Once they are awake and running about, hopefully you will be
allowed to be in with them, and not standing on the outside looking in. If some
are already sold but not collected yet, the breeder may put them somewhere
separate after a few minutes so that you can see the only puppies that are
available. Or if you definitely want a male puppy they may put the bitches back
and only leave out all the available dog puppies. This is quite normal. Its
hard to choose when, as you are trying to choose, each one you like, is already
sold! You should be able to see the whole litter running about together for a
little while though.
Squat down to their level and talk to them in a gentle cheerful
voice and encourage them quietly to come to you by holding out one hand for
them to sniff. Puppies prefer to be
rubbed under the chin, rather than having the top of the head stroked, they may
shy away if you move too quickly or try to pat them. Stroke, don’t pat, patting
may hurt a small puppy! Chattering away
to the puppies when you first meet them is important, don’t be shy or feel
silly, it will give them confidence. You want to see the puppies at their best
so treat them as they need to be treated to get the best out of them. A caring breeder, who loves his dogs and
puppies, will talk to them all the time and they won’t think you are at all
strange! In fact this is what they want
to see, someone who knows how to “be” with small puppies. Don’t pick any
up unless you are invited to, and then always with both hands. The correct way
is to lift the puppy under his chest with the right hand and then let it rest
on your left arm with the left hand around its bottom and the right hand
holding around the chest under the head, so that there is no way he can jump
from your arms, which a puppy will try to if he is not being held
properly. Ask if you are not sure, there
is no need to worry, a good breeder will be more than happy to show you how to
hold their precious puppy.
Very soon they should all be tumbling about, playing and
play-fighting with each other and one by one investigating you, your shoes or
handbag, showing a keen interest. Puppies that don’t approach you or need great
encouragement to do so should be avoided. Well-reared puppies will show no
fear, as long as you and your family don’t frighten them. Sometimes there will be one or two puppies
that are a little less confident than some of the others, but they should still
approach for fuss. These ones have probably been at the end of the pecking order
and may have a more cautious temperament. Although they will probably come on
fine in a quiet household, do not choose one of these if you have young
children. If you are a quiet sort of person, this puppy might suit you well. If
you like the quiet puppy, ask the breeder to put the bossy puppies away, so you
can see how it is with one non-bossy littermate around. Keep your movements slow and your voices
quiet.
Watch the puppies while they are playing. Are they bright and bouncy,
up to mischief with each other and toys/bones? Or are they sitting around
looking anxious? Is one bigger or
rougher than the others, or is there one that always beats the others to the
toy or for fuss and attention? If so, this will be the dominant (boss) puppy.
There is always a boss in a litter, and the puppies have a definite pecking
order. The boss puppy is not always the best choice for a first time puppy
buyer, they may seem more appealing, but will possibly be harder to train and
try and dominate you more than one of the others, especially if it’s a male.
Please take this advice if you are buying a large or guarding breed.
ARE THEY ALL A PICTURE OF GOOD FUN AND GOOD HEALTH?
·
Plump and sturdy, really clean and well groomed
·
Clean under the tail, no bright pink skin or staining
·
Bright eyes with no discharge, no thick discharge from the nose,
though it is normal for the nose to have a very little watery discharge from
the nose to keep it damp.
·
Pink gums. Pale gums indicate incorrect diet or lack of correct
worming
·
You should be able to pick up a small fold of skin easily, it
should feel cool and pliable and spring back into place immediately you let go.
The skin should not feel tightly stretched across his frame; this is an
indication of poor general health. Skin should be smooth and supple with no
scurf, scabs or bare patches.
·
In the majority of breeds the upper teeth should fit closely over
the bottom teeth, like ours do. They should grow out of the jaw vertically and
straight in alignment. The teeth should not point forward or back and the
canine teeth should lock together. If one jaw is noticeably longer than the
other and the teeth don’t fit together closely the puppy may not have a correct
mouth. This can be very important if the problem is severe the puppy may not be
able to eat properly as an adult. If you get as far as choosing a puppy, get
the breeder to “show you the puppy’s mouth”. This is perfectly normal
procedure, you cannot tell by looking at a closed mouth, covered by lips. If you
can see the puppies tongue lolling out, or poking out there will almost
certainly be something wrong with its mouth.
·
Do they have squashy lumps on the tummy button or high up between
the hind legs, if so it could be a hernia. Male
puppies testicles, when felt, there should quite clearly be two little lumps.
If there is one big one, it could be a hernia. Male puppies’ testicles haven’t
always descended at this age, so one squashy lump in that area is much
more likely to be a hernia than testicles!
· Have a look in the ears, the skin should be clean and pale pink to grey coloured. Bright pink or hot ears are carrying ear mites or an infection, which may not be serious, but would put me off. Have a little sniff, if the ears look healthy and smell of nothing then that is fine. Do check both ears; sometimes a puppy will have an infection in one ear but not